McLaren team to blame for Norris' lost win according Schumacher
Sep.28 - McLaren, not Lando Norris, is to blame for the lost victory at Sochi, according to a former grand prix winner.
Norris, having started the Russian GP from his first ever pole, was en route to victory until the Sochi skies began to open.
Radio messages from the 21-year-old indicated that Norris had simply refused to pit for rain tyres, and afterwards he admitted to race winner Lewis Hamilton that he had "ignored" the team.
However, team boss Andreas Seidl clarified: "If we had told him 'Come in', he would have come in."
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher agrees that McLaren is more to blame than Norris.
"The fault was with the McLaren weather man," he told Sky Deutschland.
"Seidl told us at Sky that they had assumed the rain would stay light and Norris had therefore been left out. The driver cannot help with that.
"If he had decided against his team, things would probably have turned out differently for him. But he just didn't have the information that the team has.
"His team simply had the wrong information," Schumacher added.
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After a great drive for almost the entire race, Norris's first F1 victory was bombed by the weather! Being on the absolute wrong tyre at the most crucial time I feel for him, it doubtless cost him the victory he deserved. However, as they say ~ the show's not over until the fat lady sings! The race doesn't finish until the chequered flag is displayed.
I am certain he is a star in the making for the future.
I am a NOR fan and certainly cheer for the papaya team. But fact, Lando was driving the car and made the ultimate tire decision. It was a bad decision. He will learn from it. Let me repeat, there is far too much guidance from the pit wall. Kimi had it right, "Shut up and let me drive".
Both were at fault, but I still lay slightly more blame at Norris for rejecting an earlier pit stop chance.